Can necking mechanism



June 6, 1933. w. CAMERON CAN NECKING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w. CAMERON 1,912,821

CAN NEGKING MECHANISM June 6, 1933.

Filed Sept. 23, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a This invention relates generally to ma- Patented June 6, 1933 TEs PATENT JOFVFICE" WILLIAM CAMERON, or CHICAGO; ILLINOIS, Ass'renort To GAMER-on can Mncnmiini 00., or. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AcoRrortArIon or ILLInoIs' T y can mammmncrrAnIsi/I n pnaduonmea September 23, 1931. Serial No. 564,614.

chines for forming can bodies and pertains more particularly to a mechanism for neck ingin said bodies being an improvement online 2'-2 of Fig. l; 1

Patent No. 1,722,556. 1 1

Those can bodies which are designed to re ceive a removable slip cover or cap at one end are preferably necked in or reduced in diameter at the end which receives the upon the machine disclosed in my prior cover substantially the thicknessof the tin plate froinwhich the body and cover are formed. This permits the flange of the cover to lie flush with the exterior surface of the body thereby presenting a smooth surface for the reception of a label or other paper covering which customarily surrounds the can.'

Inmy prior patent I disclosed a mechanism for performing thenecking in operation embodying asolid internal die or mandrel about which contracting external dies operated to neck in. the end of thecan body.

The present invention embodies generally a similar constructionbut involves a new and novel mechanism for contracting the external dies by means of which a smooth necking in isproduced without a wrinkled neckand by meansof which vibration of the machine is decreased, the speed of the machine is increasedjand wear uponthose parts of the m chine upon which accuracy and successful operation depends is substantially eliminated." 1 I In general terms I prefer to employ a solid internal die, reciprocating contracting external dies and a continuously operated rotary cam for actuating the reciprocating dies. The reciprocating parts are thus reduced to a minimum andreplaced by continuously rotary members thereby reducing Vibration and increasing e permissible speed of the machines. 1 v

Othernovel features andtheir resultant advantages will be readily appreciated as my invention becomes better understood byreference to the following description when considered with the accompanying draw ingsg Referring tothe drawings partially close the die carriers therein. 1

Fig. is a leftend elevation, partly broken I away, as viewed on line 11 on 'Fig. 12, of a necklng 1n mechanism; a I 1 v Fig. 2 1s a. vertical central .SGOlQlOIL taken Fig. 3 is .arightend elevation; partly broken] away as. viewed on line 3 3 on base supports a housing 2 within which the,

external necking in dies are mounted and which has a central opening into which the end of the horn 3 extends,lthe horn being a part of or a continuation of the horn of the body forming machineupon which the can bodies are formed (Fig. 2). To the end of'the horn. is attached thein'ternal necking in die ormandrel 4L beingsecured thereto by a cap screw, 6. Theinternal die may be sectional or of a single piece as shown.

.It will be understood that the external dies are closed upon the can body upon the internal die or mandrel to cause. the necking in of thelcan bodyas will be described.

The housing 2 is a circular disc-like member provided upon one face with a plurality of substantially radially disposed ribs or webs 7 which form a series of radial guideways' preferably four in number therebetween in eachof which a die carrier 8 is adapted toreciprocate. Each die carrier 8 is equipped at its inner end with a die 9 secured to the carriers by cap screws 10, the inneror operable portions of the dies being shaped to conform to the contour of the necking in mandrel as will be apparent from Figs. 2 and 4. The die carriers areretained within the guideways by plates 11 bolted to the outer face of webs 7, the plates 11 extendinginwardly beyond the webs to guideways and retain the Each die is normally urged outwardly away from the mandrel by a compression spring 12 placed under compression between the outer end of a radial slot 13 formed in the die carrier and a post 141 projecting laterally from the housing 2 into slot 13. Each die is forced inwardly into cooperative relation with the mandrel by a cam follower or roller 16 journalled upon a stud 17 secured in the die carrier. The rollers are arranged to travel upon a cam ring 18 securedto a ring gear 19 the latter being journalled for rotation within housing 2 and retained therein by a securing ring 21. Ring gear 19 meshes with and is rotated by spur gear 22 keyed to a stub shaft 23 journalled in housing 6 at one end and in the lower end of plate 21 at its other end. Shaft 23 also carries a gear 24: upon its outer end which meshes with a gear 26 carried by a drive shaft 27 the latter being journalled in bracket 1 and driven from any suitable source (not shown).

It follows that as ring gear 19 is rotated carrying with it cam ring 18, the necking dies will be forced inwardly into cooperative relation with mandrel 4: when rollers 16 engage the high points 18a of cam ring 18 and will be withdrawn into inoperative position by springs 12 when rollers 16 ride off of the high points 180,. The" only reciprocating or oscillating parts are therefore the die carriers, dies and rollers, the other moving parts being rotary and continuously driven when the machine is in operation.

In operation a can body 28 is fed along the horn 3 by any suitable feed mechanism, such as the feed dogs 29, to the necking in station and when properly positioned the dies 9 are forced inwardly through the medium of rollers 16 and cam 18 with suflicient power to displace the metal of the can body inwardly from its plane a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the tin plate to thereby form the inwardly oflset neck 31. The cooperative action of the solid mandrel and the inwardly moved dies is such that the neck is formed smoothly and without the production of Wrinkles in the tin plate.

Longer or shorter necks or varying degrees of offset may be produced by substituting difiierent dies and mandrels.

It is customarily desirable that can bodies of this type be also slightly mouthed in at the necked in end in order to facilitate the positioning of a cover thereon and where this is desirable the dies may be formed with a slight inward projection to bend the ggge of the body inwardly as indicated at After 'the necking in operation has been performed the body may be discharged from the mandrel toward the left as shown in Fig. 2 by the feed dogs 29 or any other suitable mechanism adapted to engage the rear end of the body and push it off the mandrel.

The foregoing mechanism not only eliminates all reciprocating driving parts and substitutes rotary driving parts therefor but provides a direct driving connection to the cam ring. This direct connection eliminates the possibility of any lost motion between the driving motor and the cam which would otherwise be present and greatly impair the accuracy of the machine by affecting the throw of the dies, which movement is relatively very slight being approximately the thickness of the tin plate.

The construction,operation and inherent advantages of my: invention should be understood and appreciated from the foregoing description without further description and it should be obvious thatvariations in the mechanical details disclosed may be resorted. to'without exceeding the scope ofthe invention as defined in the following-claims.

I claim:

1. A can body necking in mechanism comprising a solid internal stationary mandrel and external reciprocating dies having faces conforming to the contour of said mandrel and adapted to be contracted around the mandrel to reduce the diameter of a, portion of a can body interposed between said mandrel and said dies, a, rotary cam ring for contracting said dies and means for continuously rotating said cam ring to recipro cate said external dies.

2. A can body necking in mechanism comprising a solid internal mandrel and reciprocating external dies having faces conforming to the contour of said mandrel and adapted to be contracted around the mandrel to reduce the diameter of a portion of a can body interposed between said mandrel and said dies, said dies having cam follow-' ers secured thereto, a cam ring surrounding said dies, springs for normally urging said dies outwardly into contact with said 'cam ring and means for continuously rotating said cam ring to reciprocate said external dies against the actionof the springs.

3. A can body necking in mechanism comprising a solid internal mandrel, a housing surrounding said mandrel, external dies 'mo-unted for reciprocating movements in said housing, sa1d dies having faces conforming to the contour of said mandrel, a ring gear surroundmgsaid dies, a cam ring carried by sa1d gear and arranged to engage said external dies to contract the latter about the mandrel'to reduce the diameter" of a portion of a can body interposed between said mandrel and said dies and means for continuously rotating said gear to reciprocate said external dies.

4; A can body necking in mechanism comprising a stationary internal mandrel adapted tovsupport a can body, means for ad vancing can bodies along said mandrel to the end thereof, reciprocating external f dies 5 of a can bod having die faces conforming to the contour of the end of said mandrel and adapted to be contracted around the mandrel to reduce the diameter of a cylindrical portion y arrangedinterposed between said stationary mandrel and sand dies, a rotary member for contracting said external dies, and means for continuously rotating said member to actuate said external dies.

slgnature.

In Witness of the foregoing I affix my WILLIAM CAMERON. 

